Chapter 1: About Human Development Flashcards
(50 cards)
cognitive development
pattern of change in mental abilities, such as learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity
cohort
a group of people born at about the same time
critical period
specific time when a given event or its absence has a specific impact on development
culture
a society’s or group’s total way of life, including customs, traditions, beliefs, values, language, and physical products-all learned behavior, passed on from parents to children
environment
totality of nonhereditary, or experiential, influences on development
ethnic gloss
overgeneralization about an ethnic or cultural group that obscures differences within the group
ethnic group
a group united by ancestry, race, religion, language, or national origins, which contribute to a sense of shared identity
extended family
multigenerational kinship network of parents, children, and other relatives, sometimes living together in an extended-family household
heredity
inborn traits or characteristics inherited from the biological parents
historical generation
a group of people strongly influenced by a major historical event during their formative period
human development
scientific study of processes of change and stability throughout the human life-span
imprinting
instinctive form of learning in which, during a critical period in early development, a young animal forms an attachment to the first moving object it sees, usually the mother
individual differences
differences in characteristics, influences, or developmental outcomes
life-span development
scientific study of human development as a lifelong process
maturation
unfolding of a natural sequence of physical and behavioral changes
nonnormative
characteristic of an unusual event that happens to a particular person or a typical event that happens at an unusual time of life
normative
characteristic of an event that occurs in a similar way for most people in a group
nuclear family
two-generational kinship, economic, and household unit consisting of one or two parents and their biological children, adopted children, or stepchildren
physical development
growth of body and brain, including patterns of change in sensory capacities, motor skills, and health
plasticity
Range of modifiability of performance; “molding,” of the brain through experience
psychosocial development
- Pattern of change in emotions, personality, and social relationships
- In Erikson’s eight-stage theory, the socially and culturally influenced process of development of the ego, or self
risk factors
conditions that increase the likelihood of a negative developmental outcome
sensitive periods
times in development when a person is particularly open to certain kinds of experiences
social construction
a concept or practice that may appear natural and obvious to those who accept it, but that in reality is an invention of a particular culture or society
